


Into the Woods

by StarRoseColors



Category: Original Work, The Wizard of Oz & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action, Adventure, All made on Tumblr/Wattpad, Blood, Character Death, Dark, Dark Fantasy, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Friendship, Gen, LGBTQ, Love, M/M, Original work - Freeform, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Stories, Slice of Life, open to prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21726556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarRoseColors/pseuds/StarRoseColors
Summary: A collection of original short stories, all me practicing my genres.But be careful- we all have woods, and we don't always come out of them.
Kudos: 3





	1. The Daughters of Baba Yaga

**Author's Note:**

> (Genre: Fantasy. Warning: Death, Blood)

Once upon a time, in a woods deep and dark in a land of souls, there was a witch.

The witch was the Baba Yaga. She developed a fascination with the trees of the woods, called Candles. This was because they produced a dark oil that looked like blood. But the source of her fascination was because they had once been people.

They were travelers, pilgrims, all turned into trees by the Beast- a dark shadowy spirit who sang his song as he walked through his woods. Those who had lost all hope turned to wood as they listened to his song. The only thing that remained of them was their faces, eyes closed and mouths opened in silent screams of despair.

The Baba Yaga had three daughters. Each of them had a magical gift of their own.

The first was Belle. The loveliest of her sisters, she could cast balls of light and create illusions of comfort and home. The second was Mary, the ugliest. She was a potion brewer, able to create poisons of different degrees.

The youngest was Cora. She was pretty, the balance between her sisters. She had a beautiful singing voice, but her true talent was in her ability to create. She could craft anything. One of the things she created was a beautiful silver lantern, which she used to light her way through the woods.

The Baba Yaga used her daughters' talents and sent Belle and Cora into the woods. She ignored Mary as she used her daughters to lure outsiders deep into the woods. In pleasure, she watched as the people they lured gave into despair and turned into trees.

The two sent into the woods hated their mother and their horrible task. The ignored one loved her mother more in her attempts to get her love. Finally, Belle managed to escape her mother. She ran into the woods and disappeared.

For years, Belle used her magic to guide people out of the woods. Baba Yaga gnashed her teeth in anger at the loss of her daughter and the lessening of her sadistic entertainment. Mary became useful as she helped her mother try every spell to find the missing girl.

Finally, she was found.

Baba Yaga dragged Belle home by her hair. In the firelight in their home, she slowly killed her daughter. Mary watched, uncertain glee lighting up in her eyes. Cora, now a young woman, quickly turned away and covered her ears.

But nothing could stop the screams.

The witch's intentions had been to make her daughter suffer, planning to kill her and turn her into a beautiful Candle. This would be a tree she would admire forever and a warning to her other two daughters. But it was not to be.

As Belle gave her last breath, she transformed.

Not into a tree.

No, she turned into beautiful white feathers, all gleaming with their own light. A breeze took hold of them and they flew out the window. All three ran out, Cora holding her lantern up high as they watched.

The feathers continued to fly up into the moonlit night, twirling as if in a silent dance. They disappeared among the clouds and Belle was gone forever. Baba Yaga gnashed her teeth and turning back into the house, blind with fury. Mary quickly followed.

Cora lingered, staring at the sky. A wind blew past, ruffling her blonde curls and bringing notes of a song to her ears. Her gaze turned from the sky to the woods as the Beast continued to sing. A small smile crossed her face.

She had an idea.

It took several weeks for this plan to start. A week out of every month, Baba Yaga would leave her daughters at home to pick secret herbs. It was near the end of autumn when she left for her trip, still angry at the loss of Belle.

When she was out of sight, she set to work. Cora pulled on flats and a dress, giving off the illusion she was going on a walk. Ignoring Mary's questions, she pulled on her dark cloak and picked up her faithful lantern. She closed the door behind her.

She walked to the edge of the clearing and paused.

She stepped into the woods.

~'~'~

It was unknown how long Cora wandered through the woods, calling for the Beast.

All agreed that winter started as she walked through the woods. Her voice grew hoarse as her lantern lit her way. A blizzard began one day and she was forced to wander through it, snow soaking through her flats as she tried desperately to keep her hood on.

Finally, exhaustion claimed her. She fell, cushioned by snow. The last thing she saw was darkness, reaching for her.

When Cora awoke, it was night and she was still alive. Her lantern was sputtering weakly. She picked it up with frozen fingers and looked up. She was hoarse and it wasn't much of a scream. But what would you do if the Beast was looking down at you?

"You are an odd one," he said. "Others wander the Woods in hope of never meeting of me. Yet you wander while calling for me." He cocked his head like a cat, staring down at her with white sockets.

He was clad in shadows, little more than a silhouette. She could see what looked like a tattered scarf flutter in the breeze and antlers. His limbs were spindly thin. Cora sat up, drawing her cloak around her. The blizzard had stopped.

"I...I have an offer for you."

She managed to stand, brushing off her skirt. The Beast watched her. "The Baba Yaga has killed my sister. She keeps turning people into trees. I can help you kill her."

"Interesting. Why would I have any interest in killing the old witch?"

"Because she keeps taking away your victims. I am her daughter. I know her secrets. If we work together, she can die." She hefted her lantern in one hand and held out the other. "What do you say?"

"What can you do for me?"

She blinked. "I...You can have the pleasure of killing your own victims? Does that work?"

"It is not enough girl." He turned to leave. All the storytellers agree that this is when she cried out "Wait!" He stopped at the cry, turning back to look at her.

"I...can add another part. My power is to create magical objects." She glanced at her loyal lantern. "I know that you will have a long life but you do not have immortality. I can help with that."

Because who would suspect a simple lantern?

The deal was made. Nobody knew how, but Cora ended up cupping the Beast's soul in her palms. She trembled because it was colder than the winter. She pressed the soul inside the lantern.

The lantern glowed, brighter than ever before. She held it close and they walked into the woods together.

Cora became the first Bearer. Under the Beast's protection, she wandered the woods. Some people think that they fell in love, but I don't know. I wasn't there. But most people agreed that she once asked him why she had never turned into a Candle while wandering the forest. He said "Maybe I should've. You would've made a lovely tree."

"Thank you...?"

(It was not known if that comment was an insult or a compliment.)

It didn't matter. They crafted a plan, love or no love, as she learned how to chop down trees, for the lantern depended on the oil of Candles.

Nobody knew how it happened.

Maybe Baba Yaga went out on a herb trip and was lured by herbs leading away from her cabin. Maybe Baba Yaga saw her daughter and chased after her because she was doubly enraged by the loss of another daughter. There were a hundred maybes.

All agreed that Cora told the Beast the Baba Yaga's secrets, and they were used.

The witch died, and as she had planned for Belle, she turned into a Candle. It was an ugly tree and both were glad when Cora started chopping it down. She ignored the pop of bone and the red that leaked out with the sap because the body hadn't started rotting inside.

The Baba Yaga was dead.

Well, that's what I've heard. Stories change over time. I wasn't there.

~'~'~

Cora hummed as she gathered the flowers, the lantern next to her.

The trees were turning into the colors of spring. The Beast was out wandering, singing his song. She had decided to stay at the cabin she had built with the help of some hypnotized men and grind the wood she had already cut. The flowers she had spotted outside would brighten up the cabin.

A noise behind her made her turn, ready to greet the Beast. It wasn't the Beast.

"Mary!" She said in surprise, a smile appearing. She hadn't seen her sister since she went into the woods.

"Cora." her sister said. She looked worn out, tired. But there was a small, pleasant smile on her face. Clenching the flowers close, the younger hugged the elder. "I am so glad I found you. Mother..."

"I know. I'm sorry."

There were no words between them. Cora pulled away first, moving to invite her sister in for tea when the ax buried itself in her chest. She cut herself off with a gag, warm red leaking from the wound and her lips. A tear rolled down her cheek and she fell.

Mary panted between clenched teeth, her smile gone. She pulled out the ax and raised it over her head. "Traitor." she managed out. She swung the ax down, Cora letting out a _scream_. "Bloody, murdering, _traitor_."

She didn't know how many times she swung the ax, but the blade and her hands were red when she stopped. The anger faded to be replaced with horror. "Oh god..." she whispered, kneeling next to her sister's pale body.

She was so cold.

Mary wept, gripping the pink and red of the dress as she held the body. When she had exhausted her tears and the sky had darkened to night, she looked up. She paled when she saw the Beast staring down at her. Dress stained red, she stood and stepped away from Cora.

The Beast stepped forward, never saying a word.

He gently scooped up the body. Leaving Mary with one last glare, he turned and disappeared.

The witch sighed, turning to where she had last seen the faithful lantern. She could keep it, to remind her of her sister and of her sins-

It was gone.

~'~'~

There were other Bearers.

Nobody knew what happened to the first. Some suspected that the Beast turned her into a tree to give her one last shred of peace.

Many people held the lantern, except there were three who were special. One Bearer was a man who loved his wife, enough to damn himself. But when two children slipped through to the Woods, he did his best to lead the girl and her younger brother away from the Beast.

It wasn't enough.

The Beast's last bearer, his Flower Queen, took the Woodcutter's place.

_"I'll cut down the trees. I'll grind out their oil. I'll fuel the lantern. You don't have to lie to me about the trees or the lantern or the song...just let me take my brother home."_

_"Deal."_


	2. Hatching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: Fantasy, cute babies, slice of life

Back in the old days, dragons laid their eggs in nests of gold.

Nobody was sure why. But, because of some weird alchemy, the eggs were only able to hatch in gold. Any other substance rendered them unbreakable. Then humans moved in and took all the gold and dragons had to adapt. Now, all the dragons needed was to collect a large amount of a material thing they loved and lay the egg. Three weeks later, the babies would hatch.

Persephone wasn't sure what would happen with a dragon/fairy baby.

Her sister had fallen in love with a Seelie knight. Persephone wasn't sure why- the Seelie were a very nasty word she had to stop using because she was going to raise a tiny child. He had gotten her pregnant and then had left her, calling her 'used goods'.

She had at least the dignity to lay the egg in a pile of jewelry before leaving in order to find her 'true love'. 

Hah. 

Hah to all of it.

Persephone continued knitting the baby sweater. She had been down here for three days now, making sure everything was ready. Baby dragons needed more heat than regular dragons needed. She had sealed the windows, got a fire started in the fireplace, set up heaters everywhere, and found about a dozen very hot recipes. The egg itself had about three blankets wrapped around it and a dozen heaters around it.

She glared at the egg, willing it to hatch. Her mind kept going over what needed to happen as soon as the baby hatched- write down the time, bathe and feed it, get Doctor Nixie to check the baby over, sign the birth certificate...

No name.

She hadn't chosen a name.

Persephone let out a groan, dropping her knitting and burying her face in her hands. She had done all the preparations, included creating a nursery and buying coats and scarves and sweaters, and she hadn't picked out a _name_.

What kind of aunt was she?

The egg decided to move at that moment.

The shapeshifted and glamoured dragon looked up. Her eyes widened as the egg trembled again. Then a crack appeared. She quickly glanced at the clock and yanked a Sharpie out and wrote the time on her hand.

She watched as another crack appeared. Persephone remained seated. Every dragon knew that if the baby wasn't strong enough to break out on their own, they wouldn't live anyway. 

(It would break her heart if they weren't strong enough.)

Another crack appeared. The top popped up, and the egg fell on its side. Persephone watched as the baby crawled out.

Like all baby dragons, they haven't developed scales and they had a soft fuzz mane. They looked around, obviously looking for their mother as their tail flicked. Persephone let out a huff, getting the hatchling's attention.

Letting out a squeal, the hatchling walked up to her. The claws hadn't developed yet, so it made no sound except fluid squishing. Persephone laughed as they settled in her lap, not caring about the fluids staining her clothes. Picking up the baby, she let fire build in her chest as she headed into the kitchen.

She filled up the sink with boiling water and soap, washing off the hatchling. It squeaked and squealed as she did, splashing eagerly. She would need to mop later. When that was done, Persephone had the full confidence that she had a niece.

The baby's wings hadn't developed, making her click in annoyance. Stupid Seelie...

Drying the baby off, she quickly weighed her. Writing that down, Persephone pulled out the milk bottle boiling on the stove. The babe quickly started suckling. The new aunt let a laugh as she did.

"I still need to pick out a name for you." She said. The baby stopped feeding, aiming red and gold eyes in annoyance. She sighed. "I know, I know. I'm a silly auntie"

She hefted the hatchling up. Persephone considered her niece. Then she noticed the statue on the fireplace mantel.

"Hestia."

The baby let out a coo.

"You like that name, don't you?" She let out a laugh as it squealed.

"Okay, Hestia Indigo Helmer."


	3. Ribbons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Genre: Science Fiction- what genre is it if its set in a video game? 5+ 1. Warning: Violence towards and love for an underage minor)  
> A/N: Idea for a story idea. Sugar is based on sugar and honey, considered to be part of the oldest candies.

1.

They are curly, sparkling gold.

She can't help but love them.

Her name is Sugar de Abeille. She knows she is part of _Sweet Racers,_ a racing game set in a land of sweets.She knows that she is fourteen. And right now, she grips a crisp white bedsheet and accepts clothes from the king's jawbreaker themed butler.

She does not remember how she got in King Saccharine's castle.

A sweater dress, as white as the sugar she is named after. Dark brown leggings and dark brown boots. But what catches her attention is the curly, sparkling golden hair ribbons. Sugar does up her hair in pigtails and can't help but smile at the sight of them in her blonde curls.

It fades when the first crackle of blue code goes across her skin.

* * *

2.

She is a glitch.

A corrupt part of the system. A person never meant to exist.

Sugar desires to race, even though she can't. She leaves the castle and ends up establishing a reputation as the glitch- no name, just _the glitch-_ and everyone hates her. Including the racers- the actual, true, racers.

Cocoa Hershey and her group corner Sugar one day.

The girl can't help but glitch miserably with every horrible word. That day, she's surprised that she didn't frazzle her code. Done with words, the brunette decides to snap the golden ribbons out of her hair. Throwing them in the mud, the trio leaves.

Sugar wipes the tears in her eyes on her sleeve and then plucks the ribbons out of the mud.

When she looks up, Saccharine is there.

* * *

3\. 

They argue.

Saccharine is king, and he considers it his duty to take care of her. Which means poor Breaker has to do most of the work.

It's not so bad. There's this one window she can watch the track.

What the king actually does is butt heads with Sugar.

They argue whenever they end up in conversation.

It gets worse as time passes. In public, he'll be openly aggressive to her. In private, when it is just him, her, and the butler that watches their arguments- the only three inhabitants of the castle- he could get worse or offer her anything as long as it didn't involve racing. That gives her more ammo. 

(He fears her escaping. Of her leaving him.)

He storms off, probably to sulk, Breaker following.

Sugar yanks the ribbons out of her hair- her pigtails are slipping.

Once she reties them, she heads on her way.

* * *

4\. 

It is a day that the arcade is closed when Sugar gets a knock on her door.

Breaker, a frown on his face, is standing there. "The king requests to spend the day with you," he says, handing her the box in his hand.

"Okay...?"

He nods and quickly closes the door. Sugar blinks before opening the box.

It is a long dress, off-color white. It is sleeveless, with a brown ribbon to wrap around her waist. Sugar stares at it, something niggling at her, saying she has seen this dress before, or something like it. She pulls off the familiar warmth of her sweater and pulls on the dress and the matching flats. It fits her perfectly. She lets her hair down and brushes it, then she heads out.

Saccharine is waiting for her. He is missing his bowtie, the purple and gold jacket, and the stupid lace collar. He looks ordinary, except for his crown. He is pensive until he sees her. He approaches. "Sugar..."

"Hm?"

"You..."

There is a strange silence and it catches Sugar off guard.

They spend the day in their own little world, most the day spent in the garden. There are flowers made of sugar and candy, yes, but there is also real flowers, brought in from other games. It is one of these, a pale pink rose, that he hands to her.

And tells her that he wants them to be closer.

It is her choice, he tells her.

Sugar tucks the rose behind her ear, a pale replacement to her ribbons, and does not give him an answer.

It is when they dance that things go sour.

It is awkward, with jokes on her height that weren't needed- (she knows she's short, _darn it_ )- until he syncs their movements. It is only later, years later, when Sugar realizes the courtship it is. 

"Well done dearest!" he says when he dips her. "You dance like you were a real princess!" She is unsure why his eyes are laughing.

"...I wish I was." The dance stops and he almost drops her. "If I was, I would-"

Hands grips hers, eyes uneasy instead of laughing. "You're not making any sense dear-"

_"Will you stop calling me that?!"_

Her outburst catches Saccharine off guard.

"Sugar-!"

"There's nothing I can do here!"

"There's plenty-"

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't here!"

There was silence as he stared at her in shock. She has hit one of his weaknesses. Shock turns to anger and he grips her shoulders, letting out an incensed laugh. "So you want to be alone?"

"You know what I want!"

He grips her shoulders tighter. "And I told you already Sugar: no. Never ask me again. You will never race on that track as long as you exist in the game."

Sugar swallows back emotion, pushes him away, and storms off. 

She ties up her hair with her ribbons as soon as she reaches her room. Dressing in her old clothes, leaving her outfit on the floor, she heads to her observation window. It is night when she opens it.

She crumples the rose in her hand and allows a breeze to sweep the remains away.

(In Between.

There is the pain of tears in her eyes as Breaker shuts the door.

"I am done playing games, ungrateful brat."

She manages to glitch out of his arms when he goes for a kiss. Saccharine grabs one of her ribbons- once her greatest prize, now her enemy- and yanks her back down on the bed, pulling the ribbon. He comments on her lack of control as he pins her wrists with one hand and pulls out the last ribbon.

There is the pain in his kisses.

Before he can pull her clothes off her body, she slaps him.

His first reaction is anger but he pauses. Instead of backhanding her, he orders her out.

"Tie up your hair. Put on your shoes. Walk. And don't you dare talk."

She doesn't talk.

Later, she forgets what happens. (They were destroyed.)

* * *

5.

Sugar is banished from the kingdom. She does not know why.

She is alone for five years, making a home in an abandoned bonus level. Then one day, a spaceship crashes.

Inside is a large man- a Bad Guy.

His name is Rex.

She steals his stolen medal, uses it to get into the race. She pales when there is a shriek of "Sugar?!"

Rex reappears after the chaos of the entry, chasing away the racers that tore apart her handmade kart. Sugar agrees to race for him. They build a kart, a real one, in the Bakery. She pales again when Saccharine appears with the police force. They escape with the embarrassing realization that Sugar doesn't know how to drive.

Rex teaches her how to drive.

Then he destroys her kart.

(Saccharine has spoken to him.)

She weeps as he leaves, sadness in his eyes and a gifted medal around his neck. What feels like hours later, she is exhausted and cried out. She shifts to sit against a chocolate rock, staring at the remains of her kart. She stands when she feels a familiar presence approach.

Sugar and Saccharine, his hands on her shoulders, stared at the remains before he gripped her shoulder- gently, gently- and dragged her to the police truck.

She was locked in the dungeon, in the glitch proof chains, created for her. Saccharine visits and Sugar sees how he's fallen apart without her. But the truth is the truth.

She hates him.

Then he leaves and then Rex breaks in with her repaired kart. He apologizes and tells her that if she crosses the finish line in a race, she'll be a real racer. She doesn't have to win- just cross the finish line.

She's already a real racer.

And she'll win.

Her golden ribbons shine as she winks at her former guardian, who stares in shock as she passes him.

_Told you I can race._

* * *

+1

Everything is fixed.

Sugar stares at herself.

She is the princess of Sweet Racers. King Saccharine was no king but a disgraced racer, a murderer of his own game and another, one named Jet. One whose own pride and envy took over and he attempted to kill her several times in jealous rage, only for it to turn into "love".

He's currently in the dungeon built for her, in the chains created for her.

She's dressed in her princess outfit- a gown of white and off-color white with brown ribbon. A golden tiara sits on her head, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail with golden ribbon. Her true racing outfit is the same, except her sweater is off white and a brown ribbon is wrapped around her waist. Sugar mentally shifts through the years spent under his care and all the little details shift into place.

Comments that she brushed off as the insanity everyone knew was him revealing what he had done.

The princess comment was him telling her who she was.

The dress was a mockery of her true clothing.

She glitches- a disability, created from a failed murder attempt, she has turned into her power- out of her dress. She changes and hangs the dress in the closet. She avoids looking at the other dress in the closet.

Sugar pulls out the golden ribbon, letting her hair flow around her shoulders.

Then she does her hair in pigtails.

The ribbons are curly, sparkling gold.

And Sugar de Abeille can't help but love them.


	4. Once Upon a Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror. Warning: Body Horror, Death.)

Once upon a time, there was a pair of twins.

The eldest was a social butterfly, flirting and smiling to her heart's content. All loved her cheerful and happy personality and lavished her with love. She had no shortage of friends. The youngest kept to herself, reading books and studying the world instead. She was mocked by her peers, ignored by her parents, and treated with hidden cruelty by her twin. She had no shortage of bullies.

When the girls were fourteen, they were sent to stay with their aunt for the summer.

Their aunt ran a clothing store and they worked there. Even there, the eldest made no shortage of friends and soon had blocked her sister out. Anger and unhappiness blooming in her heart, the girl found an incredible book.

A book of magic.

Soon, the magic world of her summer home bloomed open for her. The youngest learned magic and kept it hidden from her sister. She had been forced to share everything else- She would not share this.

But someone found her.

An older girl, uncomfortable with the cruelty of the eldest she had noticed, found her mid spell. She grew excited by the wonder as well and promised to keep her secret, even as it was revealed that she couldn't do magic herself. The two grew into friends. They explored together, bright and happy.

They drew eyes.

One was a benevolent fire demon. She fell for the older and appeared in front of the young witch, pleading for help. The witch, having no knowledge of matchmaking, introduced them. The older fell slowly. But she fell.

The other was a powerful time demon.

His eye fell on the younger. He found her interesting. He fell when a suitor to the witch's sister summoned him to get rid of the aunt and she and her friend defeated him. For it is rare for a human to possess and use magic, even rarer for one to outsmart him. But he had to get rid of the book.

For this, he stole the body of a young girl. He hung around the store, drawing the younger's attention. The eldest, fresh with curiosity about her sister, noticed her blooming crush and attempted to matchmake. On a rainy day, she confessed her crush.

And he burnt the book to ashes.

The eldest did not understand but she understood sadness. She attempted to get the eldest with another girl.

The demon killed that girl.

He also visited the youngest in her dreams, trying to make her give in to his advances. She refused him. So, furious, he turned to break her further.

He was a demon of time.

Which meant he could create time loops.

Over, over, over again did the girl go through the day to die a new and increasingly creative and inventive death. Sometimes she would survive to the next day, two, three, only to return to that morning. She gained new scars, gasping when she awoke in her bed again. She ended up recruiting the fire demon and she survived the week.

She managed to survive to the end of the summer, full of new confidence and determination. She returned home new. The demon seethed. For a demon cannot leave a place they are bound to and no demon likes having their love taken away.

But he waited- the twins would return the next summer.

' _Just always know this my darling- I love you the most.'_


	5. Axe Gleam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (CW: Someone suggests mutilation.)   
> I once discovered a prompt that said 'The Scarecrow and Tin Man realize that Dorothy has a brain and a heart. They just need to take them.' Sure, perfect horror story set up. But what if it goes differently?

Dorothy is the one to realize that she has the parts her companions need.

She is a lonely girl in a frightening new world. A witch is hunting her for the silver slippers she earned from an accident. Glinda is no help, just telling her to follow her the yellow brick road. Joy fills her with each new companion. (She doesn't tell her new friends about the witch.)

The Scarecrow is loyal and so, _so_ smart- imagine what he would do with an actual brain? The Tin Man is kind and for something that claims to be heartless, an actual heart would have to be bigger than normal for him. The Lion is passionate and brave when it matters, now he needs actual courage to back it up.

When they take the break for the night before reaching Emerald City, the Tin Man builds a fire. Dorothy sits in the Scarecrow's lap, serving as a shield from the deadly flames. The firelight catches the ax, making it gleam. Dorothy stares at it. (She's not sure why.)

It's when her lie is revealed and the task is set, when Scarecrow kneels in front of her and promises he's with her no matter _what_ , Dorothy remembers the ax. (And how sharp it was.)

She waits until they stop for the night. Lion has taken Toto with him while he hunts for himself. The Scarecrow went with them to find some more firewood. The Tin Man notices her stare. "Is everything alright Dorothy?"

"I...um. Tin Man? I was just thinking...what if we didn't have to kill the Wicked Witch of the West?"

If he still could, he would clearly raise a brow. "What do you mean?" Dorothy, staring at the ax, reaches up. She traces her brow, on the skin stretched over her brain, before moving to her chest, feeling her heartbeat. The Tin Man stares at her before her silent message sinks in. "Wha- no. Absolutely _not_."

"It'll be easier."

"Dorothy Gale, you are _fourteen years old_. You have an entire life- you need to go _home_."

"This is a death mission." She snaps, lifting up a silver slipper covered foot as proof. "The Witch is going to keep trying to hurt you guys-"

"Dorothy-"

"-until I'm _dead_. And I'm not even sure-"

" _Stop_."

"She'll even stop at that-"

_"ENOUGH!"  
_

Dorothy's teeth audibly click when she shuts her mouth. The Tin Man stares her down, eyes so, _so_ sad. (That's she's gotten to this point.) "We are going to figure it out." he says. "We always do. We always find a way. We've done it before." She can't even protest at that.

Because they have.

Silently, she nods.

Satisfied, the Tin Man sits down.

"...don't tell 'Crow?"

He stares at her. "Alright."

The trio returns soon after that. Lion boasts about how he fought off a huge vulture, Tin Man argues that claim and Scarecrow is rolling his eyes as he and Dorothy arrange themselves. "It was a butterfly and he hid behind me." he whispers in her ear. She giggles.

She ignores the gleam of the ax.


	6. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the prompt 'While putting your favorite condiment on a sandwich, you accidentally make a magical occult symbol and summon a demon.' There's more.

Phoebe has an odd family.

Her grandfather Bennie had welcomed demons in his home for sandwiches when he had just been a business student. Her grandmother Callie had inherited cookbooks and a demon guide from her own grandmother. They gave birth to Uncle Niko and her father Levi and Aunt Iris.

Uncle Niko has an odd talent with cats. He marries a vet named Amara, who understands the family business. They give her cousins: Simon, who loves squirrels. Mirabelle has a fondness for peacocks. And Bliss. Nobody comments on when she goes into the forest with a hunting knife and returns with bloody hands. As long as she doesn't kill pets or humans or the three animals stated above, there's no problem.

Aunt Iris always has irises tucked into her hair. Sometimes people look away from her and her crazy multicolored outfits because she is so unabashedly _human_. She loves women instead of men and marries Daphne, who is a culinary student. They don't have children, but they did adopt Arihi, a girl descended from the shamans of Polynesia.

Her father Levi is the friendly man who something in you tells you not to trust, but you do anyway. He meets her mother Carolina when they are in college. She is the seventh daughter of a strict Catholic family and was in therapy for what Bliss does. Nobody in the Hall family minds. They have been shaped by magic, and they know magic appears in odd ways.

Odessa is the first daughter. She wears her hair back in a severe bun, and she has an air around her that makes you think about pain. The twins are second, Sol and Sky. They are balls of energy, tricksters both. Sky is the one who doesn't get caught. Art loving Bianca is next, then gloomy, head stuck in the clouds poet Sonnet. Graceful Grace is the dancer, every movement like a long dance. Then there is beauty Gemma, who people wisely say isn't as beautiful as Aphrodite. Then Jefferson is born. He's a gamer and groans about working in the pub but everyone knows its sarcasm.

Then, finally Phoebe.

At this point, the strict Catholic grandfather on the maternal side says she has to have a godparent. (Clearly, he didn't know the family his daughter had married into.) He has tolerated the others before her, but not this one.

Levi has a history degree, and Carolina has a literature degree. (Most grownup Halls do, along with either art or folklore or something else in those realms. It keeps them from pissing off anybody.) This was before they knew about immortals, and they jokingly decide to write Persephone di Death down.

Persephone, goddess of spring and queen of the Underworld.

It is two days after Carolina and the new baby come home. They haven't had a name picked out, because everybody's minds are oddly blank. Sol is manning the counter when they come in.

He is tall and dressed for business, but Sol can't really see his face. Her eyes slide off and onto his partner. She is a redhead, dressed in black and pink and a flower crown, looking like she is in college. She assumes that they are new spirits who heard of the place from a friend. "Welcome to Hell's Café, what can I get you?"

The woman smiles. "Such a polite girl. I'm afraid I'm not ordering anything. I'm here to see my goddaughter."

Sol drops the coffee pot in her hand in the dead silence. It is caught by the man's skeletal hand because he is a skeleton- She turns and calls into the kitchen. "Aunt Iris, Persephone's here to see the baby."

"What-?" Iris pokes her head out and then sees the couple. Somehow, somebody got Carolina. She comes down with Levi, holding the new baby. A soft puff of red hair has formed on her head already.

Persephone takes the baby from her parents' arms, staring at the child. A smile forms as she lets out a coo. "Hello, Phoebe." The newly named child giggles and watches in wonder as Hades waves his hand. Small lights like fireflies appear, and Phoebe reaches.

"You aren't going to take her, are you?" the mother asks finally.

The two gods looked shocked. "Of course not," Hades says. "My wife is her godmother. She's meant to be watched over." A smile appears. "Unless you want us to take her?"

At this point, five-year-old Jefferson who was _not_ happy about having a baby in the house, says "Yes."

That's when chaos erupts.

At least three members of the family launch at Jefferson to keep him quiet. Levi and Carolina start begging for their daughter back. Bennie lets out threats and heads to the box that holds the banishing spells for troublesome customers. The rest of the customers looks ready for a fight.

Persephone hands the baby to Hades and lets out an ear-piercing whistle. Everyone silences. "You do realize I was making a joke, right?" She asks before taking Phoebe back. She hands the child back to her mother. "Seventh daughter of a seventh daughter is a rare occurrence, after all." She stands, taking her husband's arm. "Bye-bye Phoebe."

They leave. The tension in the pub didn't dissipate until the next day.

Phoebe grows up to love stories, finding a large bouquet of flowers every year on her birthday. In the center of each is a flower made of jewels.


	7. Apology Scars

"How do you Eartherns praise it...?" The alien hummed as she thought. The human in front of her glared. Fia couldn't help but soak it in. Ada was finally, _finally_ quiet. "Oh, yes! My heart skips a beat when I see you like this."

Her nemesis tried to make some sort of noise. The muzzle kept her quiet. The goggles hid them, but Fia knew the signs of a pained wince. The cuffs, however, didn't hide how Ada's hands clenched into fists. There was another noise when Fia brought the camera out.

A knock stopped the taking of the pictures session. "Oi!" Lea yelled from outside the parked ship. "Can I have my sister back?"

-_-

Dressed in her human guise, Fia checked over the plate she held before knocking on the door. After a moment, it swung open to reveal Ada, who stared. Bruises and scratches dotted her visible skin. The worse was her eye bandaged- from what she had heard, she wasn't going to lose her eye. The eyelid, as well as the sides of her mouth, would just scar.

Fia smiled and held out the cake.

It was chocolate, covered in white icing. Black icing spelled out _Sorry I muzzled you, got into a spaceship race with your sister and crashed the ship and nearly killed us_. "I have the apology gift! We are now, how you say, cool now, right?"

"...no."

Fia growled. "THE INTERNET LIES!"

She stormed away, leaving Ada with a face full of cake.


	8. Notebook

Alex found the notebook on the desk.

He had entered his sixth period class slightly earlier than expected. Sitting down, his dark blue eyes landed on the violet book. Picking it up, Alex found it was a notebook. The owner had skillfully drawn a butterfly on the cover in silver pencil.

Opening it, Alex fipped through the pages. This notebook was a combination of diary, writing journal, and sketchbook. Little comics and pictures sat next to poems and short stories, which sat down with entries about the person's day.

There was no name, except for an V.

But Alex recognized the handwriting.

Since the third month of school, he had been finding little notes in his locker. The first two, he had assumed were cruel remarks from his bullies and thrown away. The third, curiosity took over.

He found a poem. A _love_ poem, addressed to him. Each one was signed with a V with little butterfly wings. The person who had wrote it knew when he wasn't at his locker. Alex hadn't a clue who it was, but he needed to find and reject them.

Right now, he wasn't interested in a relationship. Plus...they had no idea how many issues he had. They were asking to be dragged down.

Alex flipped through the notebook through the rest of his classes, smiling at the loving care that the person had put in each pencil stroke. It was a Friday, so school let out early. He stopped reading when he bumped into somebody.

He glanced down. A petite girl, her braided hair a shade of soft lavender, was rubbing her head. She wore a black shirt and a violet sweater. She looked up, revealing hazel eyes framed by purple glasses.

"Oh, hey Alex!"

He blinked, suddenly unsure of how to speak. The one word he could comprehend was _cute_. "Do...do I know you?"

She laughed, cheeks turning a bright red as she adjusted her lavender scarf, patterned with grey butterflies. "Um, Violet? We have third period Art and seventh period English together."

"Oh, oh yeah!" He remembered now.

"Vi!" They glanced back to see Sunny Dowling waving at them. "C'mon!"

Alex felt a burst of irritation. Violet seemed annoyed as well. "I...gotta go. Bye!" She hurried after her friend. He sighed and was about to return to reading when there was a loud "Oof!"

Looking up, he could see that Violet had tripped, spilling papers everywhere. He hurried up and helped the girls pick up her stuff. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She said. Violet and Sunny hurried off, she gave him a wave bye. A paper fluttered out of her backpack. Alex picked it up.

It was a Biology quiz with a perfect A+. His eyes landed on her name. The V had butterfly wings but went on to spell _Violet_ _Cullens_. Alex let out a smile.

When he got home, he pulled out the box he had been keeping the notes in. Reading over them, Alex smiled. Setting the notebook in the journal, he pulled out a piece of paper.

_Dear Violet Cullens..._


	9. Time Till

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be murder. CW: violence

**6:30 AM**

He is the first to awake. Gabe usually is, so this isn't a surprise. He stared at the drink maker as it makes him a cup of hot chocolate. He usually drinks coffee, but this day is too important to not celebrate with something.

_Even if he going to do something completely_ _fucked_ _up._

His siblings come in. Eric, already looking pristine in his business suit, makes a cup of coffee. The twins Opal and Ruby enter next. Elegant Opal's outfit is professional and neat, while hyper Ruby is full of wrinkles. They both make toasted waffles.

Lila stumbles in last, much to everyone's surprise. Despite her illness, which means she has to take homeschooling on the computer, the oldest sister is always up second. The bags under her eyes are massive, revealing that she didn't sleep at all.

They had a rare argument last night.

Lila doesn't say a word to Gabe at all.

**7:35 AM**

Gabe and the twins arrive at school. The girls meet with their friends, he heading to his locker. He quickly looks over the supplies for tonight- movie tickets, new clothes for both of them, and the knife.

 _"Here she comes._ " His demon whispers in his mind, tone full of adoration. Not for the girl heading towards Gabe, but the unseen demon lurking around her.

"Hey."

"Hey!"

Asia smiles at him, cheeks flushed. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Gabe nods.

"Of course!"

He pretends to not feel the knife burn under his fingers.

**12:02 AM**

Gabe eats his lunch out in the courtyard. He looks up to see a flash of leather. Elsa, the newest member of the Rats, is talking to the second in command. Her hair is dyed lavender but he can still see the magic-infused white.

When he started the mission, he had focused on Elsa at first. She has a pact. Then he saw said second in command pinning Asia against a wall by her throat. Gabe had watched in amazement as her china-blue had turned fiery red and the quiet girl had fought back.

She had a demon. A demon that his was enamored with.

Forget Elsa. He needed Asia.

So, at lunch the next day, he had sat next to her. Carefully tended a friendship with her. He hadn't intended on her to gain a crush on him. But it is useful.

Asia joins him outside with her lunch and sketchbook.

(He pushed away from the thought that whispers how lovely Asia is when the sunlight hits her hair, revealing red highlights in her dark hair, and she's smiling.)

**3:00 PM**

School ends.

Gabe and Asia meet at their favorite cafe to do their homework before the movie. The knife burns in his pocket.

He had briefly considered doing it at home. Just mix up things together to create a cup of tea that would certainly kill her. No struggling, no chance that somebody will see. But Lila would be home and she could do something.

Very righteous, his darling sister is.

**5:00 PM**

They get popcorn and sit down. There are trailers for a romantic comedy about picnics, a horror movie about brain-eating ghosts, and a Star Wars rip off.

The movie's a fantasy. Gabe didn't pay attention to the summary, just bought the ticket. But as he watches, he realizes what it is about.

A village girl is murdered by her prince lover, the injustice causing a plague over his kingdom. Her ghost haunts him as he quests for redemption. The similarities make him shift anxiously. The girl next to him glances at him, worry clear.

He smiles at her in reassurance.

**8:00 PM**

It is dark outside. The movie was long enough for the sun to set. Gabe watches as people walk away. He stares at the dark alley. He's scouted out the area before. But standing here...about to do it...

"You okay?"

Asia looks up at him in worry.

"Yeah. C'mon."

He parked the car far away on purpose.

**8:15 PM**

The shove is rough. Asia lets out a startled yelp that Gabe cuts off by clasping his hand over her mouth. She struggles against him, moving faster when her eyes land on the knife.

He pulls away to wrap around her neck to slam her head against the wall. She is dazed as he grips her hair.

"Sorry."

**8:18 PM**

The sight of the red contrasts with the white of her throat.

He laid her down right after he had slit her throat. Now he hovers over her, waiting for the pact to be made and her to awake.

 _"Now."_ his demon whispers.

**8:20 PM**

Blue eyes, now a deep amber, open.


	10. Hellfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an alternate universe of Renaissance Europe, people have started experimenting with magic. People with the ability to summon spirits have emerged. The White Order, summoners of light spirits, are led by Mistress Regina, who seeks to destroy dark spirits and their summoners.

Mistress Regina stood in the chapel, staring at the stained glass window. An image of the North Star, the emblem of the light spirits, was depicted. The dark-haired woman sighed, thinking of that earlier afternoon.

Nobody was purer than her in all mortals. She was better than all the rest.

Yet, she could not forget the teenager, dressed in men's clothes. Her eyes had been scorching. But the dark symbols on her wrists revealed what she was, as well as the dark-haired man she had been holding the hand of.

She and her demon had escaped the guards, but they couldn't hide forever. The city was _Regina's_.

She could see her, the sun caught in her golden hair. Regina could still feel the kiss she had placed on her knuckles. Desire had inflamed in her, hot in her skin. It was...

Leading her to sin!

She could hear the judges of the afterlife.

But it wasn't her fault- it was the fault of the witch, who had lit the flames! The Creator had made the Devil stronger than a woman.

Regina prayed for protection from the dark summoner, praying that her desire did not sear her. "Destroy Persephone. Let her burn in Hell."

Or else let her be hers and hers alone.

"Mistress Regina?"

She turned to see Cadet Perilune. The young woman looked hesitant. "The dark summoner has escaped."

"What?"

"She's nowhere in the city. She's...gone."

That was impossible. Regina had guards posted at almost every entrance to the city. "How?" She heard herself whisper. Fury built in her. "Never mind. Get out, you idiot!" She barely heard Perilune quickly leaving. "I'll find her."

Even if she had to burn all of the country down.

-_-

Perilune crept through the city. The brunette slipped into an abandoned church, knocking on the door. "I'm back."

A door opened, revealing Persephone. Her spirit, Nyx, was in the form of a dark mist. They had spread themselves across their summoner's hair like a dark net. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. C'mon."

The two snuck out of the old church. Perilune led Persephone to a gate. When it opened, a forest path was revealed. A horse was next to the gate. "Follow the path."

The blonde fifteen-year-old smiled. "May I thank you now?"

Perilune smiled. "No need."

Persephone pulled herself onto the horse. The cadet's smile faded when the horse took off.

"May the Light have mercy on us."


End file.
